Rack construction



Feb. 16, 1960 s. SAUL, JR.. ETAL 2,925,181

RACK CONSTRUCTION Filed July 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w u w kg FIG.- 4

Feb. 16, 1960 s. SAUL, JR., ET AL RACK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed July 9, 1956 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

United States Patent RACK CONSTRUCTION Samuel Saul, In, Pittsburgh, andAlexander Zwillich, Connellsville, Pa.; said Zwillich assignor to saidSaul Application July 9, 1956, Serial No. 596,579

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-147) This invention pertains to storage racks. formedof structural sections and is for such a rack which may be shipped inknocked-down or unassembled condition and erected at the place where itis to be used without welding, bolts, or separate fastenings.

The particular rack herein illustrated is designated a pallet rack forthe reason that it is ordinarily used for the support of pallets whichmay be. stored in it and removed and replaced at will, but the inventionprovides arack which may be used for various other purposes as well.

1 Our invention has for its principal object to provide a rack formed ofstructural sections which may be readily assembled or disassembledwithout the use of separate fastenings or welding, and which iseconomical to make, strong and firm when in use, and adequately bracedto prevent sway.

Our invention may be more fully understoodby reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of rack embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the top of one of the, frontuprights and the associated parts, the view being on a larger scale thanFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a staggered vertical section in substantially the plane ofline IIIIII of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of one of theadjustable shelf members; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing in detail a preferred form oflug construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the rack is comprisedof four upright channel sections, the two at the front being designated2, and the rear ones 3. The channels are turned with the flanges of theuprights 2 turned toward the flanges of the opposing upright 3, so thatthe fiat web faces of the channels face outwardly. Each upright has aspaced series of narrow slit-like openings 4 through the webs locatedvertically on the center line, the sides of each slot at the top of theslot being parallel and being slightly convergent beginning at a pointabout half way between the top and bottom. The downwardly-convergingsides of the slots are designated 4a. Other smaller rectangular slits orslots 5 are also provided in these webs on the center line. As shown,there are two of the slots 5 in the front members, one above and onebelow but adjacent the middle slot 4. There are two widely-spaced slots5 in the rear upright, one just below the uppermost slot 4, and one justabove the lowermost slot 4. Actually both front and rear uprights mayhave slots at all positions to make them interchangeable, but we haveshown for illustration the minimum required by the structure.

Extending down each side of the center line of the web are a series ofkey hole slots, these being openings 6 which are wide at the top andhave narrow downward extensions 6'.

An end frame for the rack is comprised of a front upright 2 and a rearupright 3. These are connected by 2,925,181 Patented Feb. 16, 1960 "icehorizontal sections 7, termed upright braces, and there is a minimum ofthree of these braces for a normal installation. Each upright brace ispreferably a T section with the horizontal flange cut away adjacent theends, leaving a projecting vertical web portion 8 in the lower edge ofwhich is a deep notch 9 (see Fig. 3) forming a hook-like terminal 10 ateach end of the brace. These ends are passed through the vertical slots4 and pushed down so that the web of the upright is engaged in the notch9 which is just wideenough to receive the web of the channel. Theuprights are thereby joined together by the horizontal braces, with theinner face of each channel web abutted against the cut-away ends of thehorizontal flanges of the T section to provide additional stability.

When assembling the end frames, diagonal braces 11, which are also inthe form of flanged sections, such as angle bars smaller than thehorizontal members 7, and which have the horizontal flanges cut away toform a projecting tongue 7a put into position with the tonguesprojecting through the slots 5. These are put in position before thehorizontal braces are forced down into position, and the braces are ofsuch length that when the cross bars are forced down into their finalposition, the webs of the respective channels will jam against the endsof the sections 11 rearwardly of the projecting tongues so that therecan beno looseness, in these dimembers. All of these members are in theform of flanged sections, such as channels, with lugs 16 welded to thefiat faces at each end thereof, these lugs having an enlarged headportion 16a capable of passing through the enlarged openings in the keyhole slots and short neck portions of smaller section capable of beingreceived in the extensions of the slots. There are two such lugs 16 ateach end of the top members 12 and 13 to give added rigidity, andpreferably only one is provided at each end of the lower horizontalmembers.

Sincethe key hole slots are at each side of the vertical center of theuprights, horizontal bars may extend in each direction from the cornerposts, so that when the rack is built in lengths of two or moresections, the intermediate uprights serve as the common support for theadjoining ends. The spuds or studs 16 are so designed that when theheads of the studs are passed through the key hole slots and the shanksor necks of the studs forced downwardly into the narrow extensions ofthese slots, the horizontal bars will be drawn into tight engagementwith the uprights, so that the rack will be tight and firm against endplay. Because of the number of key hole slots, the horizontal membersmay be placed at various heights and in varying numbers, depending uponthe purpose of the racks.

In Fig. 5 we have shown the lug as being formed from sheet metal plate.It is comprised of two similar but oppositely formed pieces 20 havingshank-forming porbelow the top tered into a key hole slot in theupright, and the channel 14 is driven down, the bight or end of the hookwill urge the channel 14 tightly against the upright, providing a wedgeeffect that. contributes. much to the stability of the structure. Also:the shoulders 22 hearing against the faces of; the-uprights eliminatesway in: a direction normal to. the faces of the? shoulders.

The solid lugs in- Fig. 4 are similarly formed, but the contour is lessreadily seen. 1 a

It will be" seen. that the, racks may be shipped in. knocked-down formand' readily assembled with no tools. other than a. hammer. They arerelatively cheap to fabricate and. serve all of the. requirements of themuch. more expensive racks now available for this purpose.

We claim as our invention:

1. A knock-down rack. structure comprising two front corner posts andtwo rear corner posts, each corner post being similar to the other andcomprising a channel having a flat web and two flanges, there being twocorner posts. at one end of the structure. and two at the other,thelfront and back corner postsat each end being turned with. theirflanges in. confronting relation, the webs of each cornerpost having atseries of vertically-spaced keyhole. shaped. slots therein and alsohaving aseries of vertically-spaced slits therein,horizontally-extending structural sections having a horizontal flangeand a vertical leg extending between the front and rear corner posts ateach end of the structure, the vertical leg of each, such horizontalsection extending at. each end beyond the horizontal flange andproviding a hook-like extension at each end that projects through one ofsaid slits in the corner. post and hooks over the web of the corner.post at the bottom of the slit, the horizontal flangeof the section ateach, end abutting against the confronting faces of the webs to rigidlyhold the corner posts in vertical spaced relation,,horizontal shelfsections connecting the two front, corner posts'and similar horizontalshelf sections connecting the two rear corner posts, each shelf sectionhaving a fiat vertical web, the ends of the vertical web of each shelfsection lapping over and bearing against the outer faces of the webs ofthe corner posts which itconn'ects; the vertical web of each shelfhaving" a headed stud projecting therefrom normal to the web near eachend thereof, the headed studs of the shelf sections being engaged in thekeyhole slots in the corner posts.

2. A knock-down rack construction as defined in claim 1 in which thestuds on the shelf sections each have a head portion designed to' passthrough the enlarged area of the keyhole slotand a shank portion whichfits tightly into the reduced. extension of such slot, the head of'each" stud having shoulders at each side of the shank for engaging theWEb'Of the corner post with the'web of the corner post confined betweenthe shoulders and the vertical web of the shelf section", the head ofthe stud having a down-turned hook portion spaced outwardly from the webof the shelf section with the face of the hook that engages the cornerpost being slopedfromthe tip away from. the web of the leg to increaseits wedgi'ng action.

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